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Henry Hathaway directed this exceptional high-tension drama about a man teetering on the verge of self-destruction and how his dilemma affects those around him. While on patrol on Lower Manhattan, Charlie Dunnigan (Paul Douglas), a policeman who was passing by, spots a potential suicide on a ledge of a Broadway hotel. Because the young man (Richard Basehart) vocalizes his dislike for the police, Dunnigan alters his uniform and establishes a rapport with him. When the police rescue squad arrives, Dunnigan returns to his street duties. Authorities identify the jumper as Robert Cosick but are unable to win his trust or discover the reason for his actions. Cosick demands that Dunnigan return as the swelling crowd and reporters create a media circus in the streets. As the day wears on, two psychiatrists, a deranged preacher, Cosick's parents, and his ex-fiancee all try to talk him off the ledge without success as the day gives way to an eerie night illuminated by floodlights. The story was inspired by an actual standoff in New York in 1938 between police and a man attempting suicide, which drew crowds of bystanders and media coverage as hours went by. Fourteen Hours marked Grace Kelly's screen debut. The entire cast is excellent, includes Barbara Bel Geddes, Agnes Moorehead, Robert Keith, Debra Paget, Jeffrey Hunter, Howard Da Silva, Jeff Corey, Frank Faylen, Martin Gabel. Fourteen Hours was nominated for a Best Black and White Art Direction Academy Award, Best British Film British Academy Award. |
